pinMode(banana0, INPUT_PULLUP);
int reading0= analogRead(banana0);
One capital letter out of place. A missing semicolon. All it takes is a small mistake for the code to stop working.
Seated around a table, a group of 3rd cycle basic education students watches the computer screen intently, while another group connects wires to four banana plugs lined up on the counter. “Now try playing”, says one of the instructors. Moments later, the first notes begin to sound. “C”, “D”, “E”, and “F” echo through the room as the bananas, connected to an Arduino board, transform into an improvised piano.
“I never thought it was possible to make music with bananas”, comments 16-year-old Guilherme during the activity organised by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Students’ Organisation (NEECIST) at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa. After a few attempts, one of the groups manages to play “Happy Birthday” drawing spontaneous applause from their classmates.
From July 6 to 10, following a first week dedicated to secondary school students, Técnico once again welcomed 3rd cycle students as part of the “Verão na ULisboa” programme. For five days, the Students’ Organisations opened laboratories, classrooms and workshops to introduce students to engineering through hands-on activities. Salvador Veloso, a biomedical engineering student at Técnico and mentor to one of the groups, shared “learning means, above all, experimenting”.
Unlikely ideas can also take center stage
The once-white walls are now covered with diagrams, business models, and hastily drawn sketches in marker pens. In the “Unicórnio por um Dia” (“Unicorn for a Day”) challenge, organised by Junitec—Junior Enterprises at Técnico, creativity is just as valuable as the ability to convince those on the other side.
Each team had a mission: “to create two startups, one credible and the other deliberately unlikely”. In just over an hour, ideas emerged ranging from AI-powered personal organisation apps, educational platforms, soundproof booths for public streets, and even using goats for land clearing (which would ultimately prove to be one of the winning proposals).
Rather than finding the “perfect idea”, the aim was to learn how to defend it, communicate in public and understand that failure is part of the innovation process. “It was great fun because we had to think of solutions to real problems, but also present them convincingly”, sums up Duarte, aged 15, at the end of his team’s presentation. Initially signed up at his parents’ urging, he now reflects on the experience “with a different perspective”. “I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying the opportunity to get to know Técnico.”
Lab coats, magnifying glasses and unexpected reactions
In the laboratories of the Chemical Engineering Group at Técnico (NEQIST), the first rule is simple: put on your lab coat, wear your safety goggles and carefully follow the experimental protocol. “Pour 2.5 millilitres of a saturated aqueous solution of potassium iodide”, instructs Beatriz Cunha, a monitor of this activity. Once the procedure is complete, all eyes turn to the Erlenmeyer flask.
Within seconds, a thick foam begins to rise through the container and quickly overflows onto the workbench. The experiment, called ‘elephant’s toothpaste’, demonstrates the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (commonly known as ‘oxygenated water’). “Potassium iodide acts as a catalyst for the reaction, which releases oxygen and heat, while the detergent traps the gas, forming foam”, explains Beatriz Cunha, as expressions of surprise spread around her.
The ‘surprise’, however, is not limited to the chemical reaction. For many, the week also offers a first contact with university life and the way science and engineering students learn, experiment and work. “I was surprised by the number of projects and students’ organisations”, says Rafaela, a 9th-grade student, for whom the initiative was an “opportunity to explore courses I didn’t even know existed”.
Further along, at another workbench, curiosity simply shifts to a different scale. “They’re not microscopes”, corrects Bárbara Paulo, also a mentor for the activity and a chemical engineering student at Técnico. “They’re stereoscopic magnifiers”. One by one, the participants examine crystals produced in the laboratory and discover that “different compounds have their own structures”, invisible to the naked eye. Amid questions, participants peer through lenses and compare samples, as chemistry unfolds through direct observation.
For Afonso, aged 15, the experience at Técnico was not entirely new. The previous year, he participated in activities at Técnico’s Oeiras Campus and wanted to “repeat the experience”. About to start the 10th-grade, studying Science and Technology, he says that his interest in engineering “has always been there”, although he is still searching for the “engineering field that excites him the most”. “I’m really curious about mechanical engineering, but this week has shown me other possibilities”, he says.
The reverse journey was undertaken by 12-year-old Gonçalo, who frequently visits various universities to discover what “he enjoys most”. During his visit to Técnico’s Oeiras campus, he found the activities there to be “one of the biggest surprises of the week”. While creating a game, he discovered “an aspect of programming he hadn’t been aware of before”, learning how to build scenarios, control characters, and overcome various challenges.
